Rebooking the new "They" and where I would go with it.
Posted: Feb 4th, '11, 11:16
While the Fortune turn was very well done, it leaves TNA with what i see as a HUGE problem: The main event and upper-midcard scene is almost entirely babyfaces. Also, there were some elements of the turn that just seem kind of weird in retrospect, especially the question of "why did Fortune wait to turn?" So... here is how I would have done this week's Impact in a way that would rectify those problems, and where I would go from there:
1. I would keep the opening segment of this week's Impact the same, except for one MAJOR change. Scott Steiner is not a dumb guy. He realizes that his and Kurt's plan fell through when Booker & Nash went to WWE. It has already been kayfabe established that he is very close friends with Jeff Jarrett. Bischoff presents him with two choices:
1) Get his ass kicked.
2) Join a powerful faction in favor with the people in management (after all, if Kurt thought that Dixie would win her court case, he would have just waited things out, not try to take matters into his own hands), and get to hang out with his good buddy Jeff Jarrett.
So Steiner joins Immortal. This creates the feeling that Booker & Nash were "They" all along, and makes Bischoff look smart for encouraging them to go elsewhere to cut Kurt off. Also, having the babyface's master plan fall apart is something that we rarely see, so that would be new and different.
Anyway, now Kurt is panicking. He is totally screwed. It is just he and Crimson vs. all of Immortal.
We get the same scene with Bischoff berating AJ, and later on, we get the same turn by Fortune. This makes the Fortune turn MUCH more spontaneous, and also means that there is no way that Flair was in on it. When Flair comes back, he is FURIOUS! Those ungrateful punks! Look at everything that he (and Hogan and Bischoff have done for them! It also sets up the following feud:
Fortune, Crimson, & Kurt vs. Immortal (Jeff, Matt, Jarrett, Steiner, Abyss, Terry, Gunnar, Murphy, & Flair)
For Against All Odds, you have Hardy vs. Anderson. Again we get a ref bump, but this time Fortune takes out Immortal before they can interfere, and Anderson wins cleanly, ending that feud.
You also have Angle still feuding with Jarrett, but he now has a very personal issue with Scott Steiner, who sold out... so they have a match on PPV.
Also, Crimson vs. Rob Terry
Beer Money defend the Tag Team Titles against Gunnar & Murphy.
Micke beats Madison to win the KOs Title.
Having Jeff now out of the World Title picture frees him up to settle his beef with RVD. RVD costs Jeff a World Title match on the Impact after AAO, and so the next week, Immortal beat RVD down and injure him.
Dixie regains control of the company, and appoints a commissioner who she can trust: Mick Foley
Victory Road is Immortal's last-ditch effort to get the Titles (all matches made before 3/3). For the World Title, they throw one of their biggest names, Jeff Jarrett at Mr. Anderson, and have guys around the ring to make sure that Kurt doesn't interfere.
To take on AJ, Flair brings a new member into Immortal- Desmond Wolfe
Beer Money def. the Hardy Boyz to retain the TNA World Tag Team Titles after interference from the returning RVD.
Immortal, desperate for control of any title they can get at this point, sign Sarita, who has a KOs Title match with Mickie James, which Mickie wins.
Also, it will be Angle vs. Steiner, with the stip that if Kurt wins, he gets Jeff Jarrett one-on-one in a steel cage match at Lockdown.
At Impact after Victory Road, Foley makes RVD vs. Jeff, but Immortal ruins the match by beating RVD down for the DQ.
The next week we get an all-out brawl between the two factions, leading to Foley making the following match for Lockdown: Fortune & Crimson vs. Any five members of Immortal in a LETHAL LOCKDOWN MATCH.
On the Impact before Lockdown, Abyss returns (just in time for Lethal Lockdown) and beats the crap out of Fortune with weapons.
At Lockdown, we get:
Lethal Lockdown match: Fortune & Crimson vs. Immortal (Steiner, Wolfe, Terry, Matt, & Abyss)
RVD vs. Jeff
Angle vs. Jarrett
Anderson vs. Matt Morgan
As we push towards Slammiversary, we get more brawling between the two factions, leading to...
Slammiversary:
King of the Mountain match: Anderson vs. AJ vs. Jeff Hardy vs. RVD vs.Matt Morgan
Elimination Match for the Future of TNA:
Team TNA (Kaz, Beer Money, Kurt, & Crimson) vs. Immortal (Matt, Jarrett, Steiner, Wolfe, & Abyss)- If Team TNA win, then Hogan, Flair, & Bischoff are gone, Immortal must disband, and all of the Immortal guys will need to work to earn their roster spot, but if Team Immortal win, then Dixie will cede full control of TNA over to Hogan, Bischoff, Flair, & Jarrett (it is made clear that one change hanging in the balance here is whether they use a four or 6 sided ring. Dixie made the change back after Lockdown, but Immortal want to change it back to four sides).
AJ wins KOTM.
Team TNA wins the elimination match, forcing Immortal to disband, and all of its members go their separate ways (with Wolfe managing [pun intended] to find a loophole and bringing Flair back as his manager). Gunnar and Murphy wind up making it as a regular tag team.
1. I would keep the opening segment of this week's Impact the same, except for one MAJOR change. Scott Steiner is not a dumb guy. He realizes that his and Kurt's plan fell through when Booker & Nash went to WWE. It has already been kayfabe established that he is very close friends with Jeff Jarrett. Bischoff presents him with two choices:
1) Get his ass kicked.
2) Join a powerful faction in favor with the people in management (after all, if Kurt thought that Dixie would win her court case, he would have just waited things out, not try to take matters into his own hands), and get to hang out with his good buddy Jeff Jarrett.
So Steiner joins Immortal. This creates the feeling that Booker & Nash were "They" all along, and makes Bischoff look smart for encouraging them to go elsewhere to cut Kurt off. Also, having the babyface's master plan fall apart is something that we rarely see, so that would be new and different.
Anyway, now Kurt is panicking. He is totally screwed. It is just he and Crimson vs. all of Immortal.
We get the same scene with Bischoff berating AJ, and later on, we get the same turn by Fortune. This makes the Fortune turn MUCH more spontaneous, and also means that there is no way that Flair was in on it. When Flair comes back, he is FURIOUS! Those ungrateful punks! Look at everything that he (and Hogan and Bischoff have done for them! It also sets up the following feud:
Fortune, Crimson, & Kurt vs. Immortal (Jeff, Matt, Jarrett, Steiner, Abyss, Terry, Gunnar, Murphy, & Flair)
For Against All Odds, you have Hardy vs. Anderson. Again we get a ref bump, but this time Fortune takes out Immortal before they can interfere, and Anderson wins cleanly, ending that feud.
You also have Angle still feuding with Jarrett, but he now has a very personal issue with Scott Steiner, who sold out... so they have a match on PPV.
Also, Crimson vs. Rob Terry
Beer Money defend the Tag Team Titles against Gunnar & Murphy.
Micke beats Madison to win the KOs Title.
Having Jeff now out of the World Title picture frees him up to settle his beef with RVD. RVD costs Jeff a World Title match on the Impact after AAO, and so the next week, Immortal beat RVD down and injure him.
Dixie regains control of the company, and appoints a commissioner who she can trust: Mick Foley
Victory Road is Immortal's last-ditch effort to get the Titles (all matches made before 3/3). For the World Title, they throw one of their biggest names, Jeff Jarrett at Mr. Anderson, and have guys around the ring to make sure that Kurt doesn't interfere.
To take on AJ, Flair brings a new member into Immortal- Desmond Wolfe
Beer Money def. the Hardy Boyz to retain the TNA World Tag Team Titles after interference from the returning RVD.
Immortal, desperate for control of any title they can get at this point, sign Sarita, who has a KOs Title match with Mickie James, which Mickie wins.
Also, it will be Angle vs. Steiner, with the stip that if Kurt wins, he gets Jeff Jarrett one-on-one in a steel cage match at Lockdown.
At Impact after Victory Road, Foley makes RVD vs. Jeff, but Immortal ruins the match by beating RVD down for the DQ.
The next week we get an all-out brawl between the two factions, leading to Foley making the following match for Lockdown: Fortune & Crimson vs. Any five members of Immortal in a LETHAL LOCKDOWN MATCH.
On the Impact before Lockdown, Abyss returns (just in time for Lethal Lockdown) and beats the crap out of Fortune with weapons.
At Lockdown, we get:
Lethal Lockdown match: Fortune & Crimson vs. Immortal (Steiner, Wolfe, Terry, Matt, & Abyss)
RVD vs. Jeff
Angle vs. Jarrett
Anderson vs. Matt Morgan
As we push towards Slammiversary, we get more brawling between the two factions, leading to...
Slammiversary:
King of the Mountain match: Anderson vs. AJ vs. Jeff Hardy vs. RVD vs.Matt Morgan
Elimination Match for the Future of TNA:
Team TNA (Kaz, Beer Money, Kurt, & Crimson) vs. Immortal (Matt, Jarrett, Steiner, Wolfe, & Abyss)- If Team TNA win, then Hogan, Flair, & Bischoff are gone, Immortal must disband, and all of the Immortal guys will need to work to earn their roster spot, but if Team Immortal win, then Dixie will cede full control of TNA over to Hogan, Bischoff, Flair, & Jarrett (it is made clear that one change hanging in the balance here is whether they use a four or 6 sided ring. Dixie made the change back after Lockdown, but Immortal want to change it back to four sides).
AJ wins KOTM.
Team TNA wins the elimination match, forcing Immortal to disband, and all of its members go their separate ways (with Wolfe managing [pun intended] to find a loophole and bringing Flair back as his manager). Gunnar and Murphy wind up making it as a regular tag team.